A
Tesla Model S reportedly on “Autopilot” smashed into the back of a
fire truck parked at a freeway accident scene Monday morning,
authorities said.
The
union representing Culver City firefighters whose truck was hit
around 8:30 a.m. on Interstate 405 in Culver City tweeted that the
Tesla driver said he had been using Tesla’s Autopilot system,
which performs automated driving tasks.
The
California Highway Patrol and Culver City Fire Department
confirmed the southbound Tesla had struck the fire truck, but
could not immediately confirm whether the vehicle had been on
Autopilot.
The
fire truck had been parked in the left emergency lane and carpool
lane, blocking off the scene of a previous accident, with a CHP
vehicle behind it and to the side, said Culver City Fire
Department battalion chief Ken Powell.
Both
emergency vehicles had their lights flashing, Powell added.
The
Tesla suffered significant damage, and the fire truck has been
taken out of service to have body work done, Powell said.
Had
any firefighters been at the rear of the truck rather than in
front attending to the earlier crash, there “probably would not
have been a very good outcome,” Powell said.
“It
was a pretty big hit,” Powell said.
The
firefighters union tweet indicated that the Tesla had been
traveling at 65 miles per hour before the crash, but it was
unclear to what extent the car may have slowed before striking the
fire truck.
Because
of the force of the impact, firefighters advised the Tesla driver
that he should be taken for a medical evaluation, but he showed no
significant injuries and refused treatment, Powell said.
Tesla,
after the incident, said Autopilot is “intended for use only
with a fully attentive driver.” The Model S owner’s manual has
numerous warnings that attention to the road is vital while using
Autopilot and other Tesla semi-autonomous driving functions.
The
Palo Alto electric car maker’s Autopilot system made headlines in
2016 after a Model S driver was killed when his car crashed into a
semi truck in Florida.
Federal
road-safety officials put the blame for the fatal crash on the
truck’s driver for failing to yield while entering a roadway, on
the deceased Tesla driver for relying too heavily on Autopilot,
and on Tesla — the National Transportation Safety Board
ruled that Autopilot contributed to the crash by allowing lengthy
disengagement from the driving process, on a roadway unsuitable
for the semi-autonomous-driving system.
Also,
the board said, the Autopilot technology that monitors whether a
driver has their hands on the steering wheel isn’t a good way to
tell if the driver is paying attention.
The
California Highway Patrol (CHP) says a driver was
found passed out in his Tesla with
a very high blood alcohol content on San Francisco's Bay
Bridge ...
A drunk Bay
Area man, passed out at the wheel of a self-driving Tesla on
the Bay Bridge, was arrested for a DUI.
These
crime stories from 2017 in the Bay Area were some real
head-scratchers, or should we say bread-scratchers? Check out
the craziest crimes by clicking through ...
An
alleged drunk driver found
passed out in a Tesla on
a bridge in California told officers the car was on
"autopilot" — an apparent bid to alleviate ...
There
was a period of time over a year ago when accidents in Tesla vehicles
were often blamed on Autopilot despite drivers being
told that they are always responsible ...
Information
about AI from the News, Publications, and ConferencesAutomatic
Classification - Tagging and Summarization - Customizable
Filtering and AnalysisIf ...
In
a rather bizarre weekend tale, a San Francisco man on Friday
evening passed out drunk in
his Tesla Model
S while trying to drive across the Bay Bridge ...
Late
last week, a Tesla driver fell
asleep in his car around 5:30pm on San Francisco's Bay Bridge.
Spotted by commuters, when police arrived on the scene ...
A
man was found passed out on the Bay Bridge Friday morning,
with more than twice the legal blood alcohol content (BAC)
level, according to California ...
A Tesla Model
S Driver who
fell asleep at the wheel on the SF Bay Bridge, claimed that
his actions didn't endanger anyone because his car was on
autopilot.
A
suspected drunk driver found
passed out behind the wheel along the Bay Bridge told the
California Highway Patrol that his Tesla was
on autopilot, according to the ...
Police
found it a rather conspicuous getaway car and tracked him down
in short order, ending Flores' brief stint as the world's
least effective delivery driver.
Self-driving
or not, being drunk behind
the wheel makes you a jerk.
The
California Highway Patrol says a man found passed out Friday
behind the wheel of his Teslaon
the Bay Bridge told them his car was on autopilot.
Driver Casey
Speckman and passenger Kevin McCarthy had been drinking before
the fatal November crash of the Tesla Model
S, according to investigators.
Drunk drivers beware
-- do not count on your Tesla's high
tech features to take you home.
Can
they? Yes. It's still not safe nor legal, however. Autopilot
is, as the name implies, a driver's aid.
The driver is
still the driver,
and the car does not ...
Can
a driver get
a DUI if the Tesla Model
3 is running on Autopilot? ... Tesla Drivers:
Do the autopilot ... If you get drunk and
get behind the wheel of a Tesla you
...
An
intoxicated Santa Cruz man driving a Tesla sedan
nearly jumped Coyote Creek in north Morgan Hill this past
weekend, according to police.
CHP
tweeted a photo of the scene at 10:23 a.m., but did not say
exactly what time the encounter took place. Later it was found
that his blood alcohol level ...
INDIANAPOLIS
--The driver of
a speeding Tesla electric
car that crashed and burned in Indianapolis, killing her and a
passenger, was too drunk to
drive ...
That's
not how it works — Tesla owner
attempts Autopilot defense during DUI stop Driving drunk is
still illegal even with a driver-assistance
system active.
The driver in
a deadly, fiery November crash of a Tesla electric
vehicle had more than twice the legal driving limit of alcohol
in her blood, according to ...
Tesla's much-touted
Autopilot won't be the designated driver anytime
soon—it drives like it's drunk,
according to a user on Tesla's official
forums.
Got
T-boned by a drunk driver in
an SUV. Walked away unscathed. Thank you Tesla for
building the safest production car on the road.
Look
for a fuller write up from Slate's Will Oremus later this
week, but here's what you need to know for now: As one Reddit
user noted, your Tesla ...
Tesla Model
S driver caught
sleeping at the wheel while on Autopilot - Electrek